Cats love a good book

Either that, or they love a warm body near them in a cozy chair. Cookie and Calvin have always had what others might be tempted to call a thorny relationship; when Calvin was young he loved nothing better than to "love" the cat, and sometimes that kind of love still sneaks in under the guise of toddler exuberance. For the most part, though, their kinship has along with Calvin's greater sense of responsibility and tenderness.

Calvin is responsible for feeding Cookie, and it is to him that she directs her plaintive mews first thing in the morning or in the waning light of evening. Calvin is the only one in our family who is sucker enough to turn the bathroom faucet on at a dribble to allow her to drink. Calvin is also the only one who really takes a good nap  every day, providing Cookie with a comfy and warm cuddle spot to while away the afternoon.

It works in the other direction, too. Of all the household memebers, Cookie is the only one who doesn't have interrupting chores or work to do, and who will sit still long enough to be the recipient of a well-planned tea party, an acted out play or felt story time, or the reading of a delightfully long book (especially, you see, if she is napping). She is also the only pet mindful of the kid's personal space, whereas the blind little dog and the clumsy big dog tend to step on train tracks and collapse block buildings.

I am allergic to animals, particularly to cats, and there are days here and there when, as much as I love our pets, I find myself wishing them away along with my stuffy nose or itchy eyes, but this kind of companionship is a lesson in itself, and a valuable one at that, and while we'll probably never adopt a cat again, I am thankful for Cookies presence and the friendship she gives, in particular, to that precious little boy.

Project 365, days 8-14

Cats love the sun on cold winter days, and we love fires on cold winter nights, especially for stretching out and reading in front of. It's fun to have company because then we usually have dessert, like homemade chocolate pudding with home-whipped cream. Practicing writing his letters is more fun for this boy than I could ever have imagined. Look at that, we even found an "M" shaped Mushroom. We enjoyed watching a furry fox squirrel munching on winter berries before heading into the library, and the next day Michael got to enjoy munching on his own winter meal. That's a good week.

Afternoon sun on a cold winter's day

For Christmas this year we were given a window bench for our pop out window and my Godmother made a cushion for on top. Since then this has become the favorite spot in the house when the winter sun streams through the window in the mid afternoon. If I'm lucky I'm able to claim a spot for myself after Calvin lays down for his nap, and many an afternoon has found me dozing there, my head bobbing and weaving over the book I'm pretending to read. Cookie, however, believes that the spot was made entirely for her benefit, especially with the bird feeders being only a few feet away in the front garden. Can't you tell how intrigued she is by the bird feeders? I thought so.

Project 365, days 1-7

A picture a day for a whole year. That shouldn't be too hard in this house, but we'll have to see as the year goes by...

Days 1-7, January 1-7: Celebrating a new year, a new decade by eating our way through vacation up north and shopping with a monkey; at home trying out new toys, finding our artistic sides; who knew he could write his own name without assistance or even prompting? And lastly, it's hard to believe, but our first substantial snow of the season didn't arrive until January 7th. Happy new year.

A note about Avatar

If you don't know what that is, it's a movie. And not just any movie, but a 3-D movie. And not just any 3-D movie, but a phenomenal must-see beautiful glorious 3-D movie. A few weeks ago I had seen the title written several places and wasn't sure exactly what people were discussing, I was that off the grid, and if Curtis hadn't been in town over the holiday, and been so thrilled with his first viewing of the movie that he expounded vehemently on its multitude of charms and virtually goaded us into going, I'm not sure we would have gone, and that would most certainly have been a mistake. I have heard Curtis refer to the epic film as the Star Wars of our generation, and for all the camp and glory he just might be right. One thing is absolutely sure, this is an event as much as it is a movie; the audience, myself included, clapped at the end of the nearly three hour long film, and it wasn't even an opening night showing.

I loved it. We loved it. If we can find it in a nearby IMAX we will be going to see it again (and maybe even if we can't). This is the film of all films. Enough said.